In the last month of the year 7568, rumors of the two-headed dragon Itugos swept through the city of Blinor, and the center of the storm was the centaur hills west of the kingdom.

The most talked about topic in the streets of the royal capital of Gambis, the salons and balls held by the nobles, and the taverns where the commoners gathered, is undoubtedly the dragon slaying feat of the high knights of the House of York and the clergy of the Church. By the way, the York family annihilated the Ant-Man army, and the deeds of defending the pioneer territory were also revealed.

Under the impetus of well-intentioned people, the Centaur Hill has become a peaceful and peaceful place. The unfortunate outcasts are ready to try their luck in the Centaur Hills to see if they can become the lords of the House of York.

Of course, the news was secretly spread by the royal family, and the sheer number of displaced people overwhelmed the city of Blinor, and the adults in the court were eager to divert the surplus population. With the Yorkist family's reputation for slaying dragons, it was the perfect opportunity to guide the homeless people westward.

Regent Williams would not be overjoyed by this, in fact, he knew for the first time that Itugos, who had been slain by Sylvia herself, was a rare alienated dragon lizard, and the York family's purchase list was on his desk, full of rare medicinal materials needed to cultivate alienated war beasts.

This list was unsettling to Williams, as the deputy head of the Knights of the Swift Dragon, he knew very well what an alienated war beast meant to a family.

Alienated war beasts are equivalent to large ferocious animals, their strength, speed, and physique are above those of knights, and their weakness is that they have low intelligence, and they fight by instinct. However, a knight may be able to kill an alienated war beast, but not all nobles can become knights, and the royal family does not have a golden knight from generation to generation, and the alienated war beasts can maintain a relatively stable number every year, and if the family has strong financial resources, the size of the war beast army can be expanded.

At the beginning of the founding of the Gambis, the Augustian family did not have peak knights, but more than 400 fierce dragons were enough to make any force look sideways.

If the castle is the shield of the family, then the alienated war beast is the sword to deter the opponent. It's a strategic force that can sustain a kingdom.

It's a pity that alienated creatures are hard to come by, and the vast majority of families don't have alienated war beasts.

At present, the Knights of Radiance and the Horned Wolves of the Sassan Imperial Family, the Unicorns of the Rand Empire and Duoduo, the Hippon Beasts of the Barcelius Family, the Sword Mantis of Neville, and the Swift Dragons of Gambis, the five alienated war beasts are known as the world. In the future, perhaps the alienated war beasts of the York family will be added.

Thinking of this, Williams became more and more irritated, and he left his seat and walked to the window to look at the last snow scene of the kiteburg. An old man in a marquis's gown saw that Williams had no intention of signing, so he reminded in a low voice: "Your Highness, Viscount Obera York is waiting for my reply.

Williams folded his hands behind his back and sighed: "Bastern, if we fulfill Archbishop Lazarus's request to vigorously promote the public carriage, will His Majesty the Pope cancel the trip to the Centaur Hill?"

This old man was none other than the Marquis de Bastern, the court minister of Gambis, who had served the Auguste family for 65 years and had always been known for his steady and wise wisdom. The old Marquis knew the worries of the Grand Duke Williams.

The Yorkist family pioneered the hills, not only needed a large number of homeless hired workers, but also knights. Next year, during the Windy Season, Pope Clement will go to Blinor to crown Prince Edward, and before that, he will travel to the Centaur Hills to attend the Yorkist Legion Tournament. According to the custom, the new king will inevitably hold a legion tournament when he ascends the throne, but the York family is stuck in the queue before the coronation ceremony. This means that the knights recruited by the Augustian family are all selected by the Yorks, and the Pope himself adds glory to the Yorks' jousting tournaments. The York family has just crushed the Gambis royal family.

Sylvia has good reason to do so. The spread of new farming and mouldboard ploughs allowed the lords to foresee an increase in grain income, so they sold their stocks of new grain one after another, and the price of grain rose instead of falling. Instead of complaining, the House of York reminded the lords everywhere to sow less, fertilize frequently, and pay attention to protecting the fertility of their fields.

The new farming and animal husbandry was originally an invention of the York family, and Sylvia's grandiose approach was even more heartbreaking, and all the lords, including the Sassan Empire, benefited from it, and they all owed Sylvia a favor. The new farming and pastoral care is of great significance to the people's livelihood, and the Church must recognize the York family for this. Under the propaganda of the clergy, the York family became a high-profile event, and the nobles of the human kingdom knew about the new farming and water conservancy projects. The hills are about to reclaim hundreds of millions of acres of farmland, and the second sons and daughters of those small families are all gearing up, wanting to participate in the York family's martial arts tournament and have a future. Prince Edward's enthronement ceremony was instead stained with the light of the House of York. In this regard, although Archduke Williams was dissatisfied, he had nothing to complain about, but the York family hunted a rare alienated dragon lizard, and the situation was different.

The York family did a great job, so good that it was feared. Once they possess the Alien War Beast, the rise of the Centaur Hills will be unstoppable.

Archduke Williams was concerned about the future of the royal family and was slow to take a stand on the list of purchases submitted by the House of York. The Marquis de Bastern, the courtier, had to meet Williams in person and urge him to sign the purchase list as soon as possible.

There are more than twenty kinds of rare medicinal materials on the list, all of which are related to alienated war beasts, which shows that the York family has mastered the method of cultivating war beasts. If the Auguste family had a complete monopoly on these medicinal materials, the Marquis of Bastern would definitely try his best to thwart the York family's purchase plan, but both the Seuss Kingdom and the Neville Kingdom had corresponding reserves of medicinal materials. The Seuss royal family dreamed of obtaining the flesh and blood of alien creatures, and the kingdom of Neville counted on Master Edwin to help them design the mountain reservoir. Therefore, the two royal families would never mind striking a deal with the House of York.

This list is actually a temptation of the royal family by the House of York.

At a time when the political situation in the Gambis was changing between the old and the new, the Marquis of Bastern did not want the balance in the country to be upset. Compared to Sylvia's generosity in new farming and animal husbandry techniques, if the Kite Castle was too stingy in this matter, it would show a sign of weakness to the lords everywhere.

"Your Highness, our grain harvest this year has increased by forty percent compared to previous years, and the annuities paid by the lords in various places have also increased. Next year's food production will decline, but seed inputs will more than double. This is all thanks to the invention of the mouldboard plough by the York family and the new farming community. ”

The Marquis of Bastern did not answer the question directly, and Williams was not at all surprised. The old marquis was modest, conformist, and always insisted on his claims in a tactful way. Williams smiled helplessly, returned to his seat, and picked up the purchase list again. Miyasho continued: "We have built more than 100 streams and reservoirs in the northern counties, increasing the cultivated land by more than 400,000 mu. Next year, we will build another 200 stream reservoirs...... Marquis Ludwig had the ambition to build an artificial canal connecting the Blinauer River with the Quinn River. The Home Secretary's proposal is on my desk that the canal, once completed, could irrigate 6 million acres of farmland. ”

"Thanks to the York family, they invented hydraulic engineering. Williams was in a much better mood and said with a smile: "I'm afraid Leopold won't be happy." ”

"The budget is indeed a bit high......," Bastern said, "The canal is 556 kilometres long and is expected to cost 800,000 gold soles, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer has expressed reservations. ”

Williams frowned: "It is said that the canals built by the York family are more than 1,000 kilometers long, which can irrigate hundreds of millions of acres of arable land. How can our canals only irrigate 6 million acres of farmland?"

"That's different. The main canal built by the York family was only part of the water conservancy project, and they also had to build 500 stream reservoirs, ring canals, and hundreds of auxiliary canals, and eventually form a water network all over the hills. Moreover, their water is drawn from the Jinshui River, and the abundance of water is not comparable to that of the Blinor River. The Marquis of Bastern said with emotion: "Edwin has clearly put forward the concepts of topographic survey and engineering management. According to him, the main canal in the Centaur Hill is only the first phase of the project, and there are the second and third phases of the project later. The entire project will take 25 years to complete, and this process will not affect the farmers to cultivate the land. ”

Of course, the Five Counties Canal proposed by the Minister of the Interior, Marquis Ludwig, was also the first phase of the project, and the water conservancy project he designed could irrigate a total of 20 million acres of arable land. ”

Williams asked, "How much does that cost?"

"2,000,000 gold soles. Bastern replied.

"2 million? That's a headache...... The House of York needs at least 5 million gold soles. I'm surprised they get so much money?"

The York family relied on the sale of bricks to support the construction of water conservancy projects. It's definitely a genius idea. Bastern shook his head and sighed. He told Williams exactly about the relationship between the giant brick kilns, the brick trade, and the water conservancy project.

Williams was silent for a long time, his eyes flickered, and he said, "The night owl is trying to get the blueprints for the giant brick kiln. ”

The hills of the centaurs peddled bricks, and the nobles of the royal capital once ridiculed the York family for being reduced to the point of selling land. However, it didn't take long for lords to build towns out of bricks, just as noblewomen and ladies favored high heels. At present, the city of Goldwater of the House of York, the city of Yehwillow of the House of Buryatia, the Duke of Wellington's Westoke, the Bronze City of the House of Solim, and the Duke of Nimes's Ojibwa are all repairing the outer city with green bricks.

How could the nobles of the royal capital accept that the city of Blinor would be compared to these towns? However, the cost of procuring green bricks from the hills and transporting them back thousands of miles is too high. So, before the York family unveiled the man-made canal, Williams instructed the night owls to spy on the design of the giant brick kiln.

Scholars have the pride of scholars, and the palace minister Bastern is not optimistic about this plan, and he said reservedly: "The design plan exists in the architect's mind. Even if the spies visited the inner workings of the giant brick kiln, they couldn't see it, they couldn't tell. ”

"Your Highness, we will eventually get the design method of the giant brick kiln. Bastern smiled and said, "The York family's strategy of building canals with bricks is more worthy of our reference. ”

"It takes decades to cultivate an alienated war beast, and it costs a lot. The purchase list submitted by the York family is worth 200,000 gold soles, and I estimate that they will continue to invest millions of gold soles. This money will ease our financial pressure. ”

"I see what you mean. Williams took a deep breath and said, "The York family is forging ahead, and we are not idle. They have water projects, and we have them. They have 100 million acres of arable land, we have 150 million acres, they are cultivating alienated war beasts, we have the Knights of Swift Dragons and the Knights of Glory. ”

Bastern bowed and said, "Your Highness." I have always believed that only by tolerating the strong can we become stronger, and by being with the weak, we will become weaker and weaker. The Yorks are catching up with us and what we have to do is stay ahead of the curve and not turn back and trip them. ”

"When we trip our vassals, we will also be tripped up. ”

Williams nodded, picked up his pen and signed his name on the purchase list. The Marquis of Bastern took the letterhead and bowed to leave.

When the palace minister left the room, Archduke Williams showed a wry smile. Bastern's reasoning is just a helpless self-encouragement. While the rise of the Centaur Hills is a fact, the roots of the change in the House of York are very strange. The mouldboard plough, the new agriculture and animal husbandry, the giant brick kiln, the water conservancy project, the Yeliucheng trade, the alienated dragon lizard, and the York family all have all the layouts that are interlocking and self-contained. Williams didn't believe in any of these coincidences, he always felt that there was a very clever strategist working for the Yorks, and he was certainly not a White Tower scholar.

"Could it be him?" Williams thought of a handsome young man, and he immediately dismissed his own speculation.

"If Victor was that person, Sylvia wouldn't let him go. And Victor was trained by Catherine herself, and his experience is very clear. It seems that the problem is still with the giant brick kiln. Williams muttered to himself, raising his hand and shaking the bell on the table. A court attendant walked in, and Williams commanded, "Go and call Varus." ”

It didn't take long for the leader of the Night Stalkers to appear in front of Williams.

"Your Highness, have you summoned me?"

"Why did you get there so soon?" asked Williams.

Varus bowed and replied, "I have something to report to you. ”

Williams bowed his head and said, "I'll talk about you later." How's the giant brick kiln in the Centaur Hills going?"

"Not much progress. The Yorks built their brick kilns only with familiar craftsmen, and they were tight-lipped. It takes a little time for our people to penetrate in. ”

"Arrange some more people to find out the real designer of the giant brick kiln. ”

"As you wish. Varus bowed, took a parchment letter from his pocket, and handed it over, "Your Majesty Catherine asked me to pass it on to you." ”

After reading the letterhead, Williams asked with a gloomy face, "Do you know the contents?"

"This is a letter from Duke Peter of the Kingdom of Borui, who claims to have executed a female liar posing as the Marquis of Sophia, and asks if something has happened to Sophia. Peter also said that he would give us a batch of boiling blood potions, and if we were interested, we would talk about further cooperation. Williams threw the letterhead on the table and sneered, "The Borui want us to announce Sophia's death with a potion recipe!

Varus said with a strange expression, "Her Majesty the Queen has asked the apothecary to verify the effect of the Boiling Blood Elixir. Master Hyde said that the potion lasted longer than the Rage Elixir and dealt negligible damage to the Soldier, effectively increasing the Soldier's strength and agility, and the effect was more similar to the bloodlust of the Violent Gnoll. Master Hyde believed that the value of the blood boiling potion was immeasurable. ”

"Oh?" Williams calmed down and knocked on the table and asked, "Why did the Borui people deal with Sophia?"

Varus cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what is the name of that female liar?"

"Amy May. Williams thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, she's Sophia's confidant." During Sophia's time in the Arrett Mountains, Amy May pretended to be Sophia and traveled to the Kingdom of Borui in an attempt to deceive us. It's a pity that the eyeliner that the night owl planted next to Sophia has already passed the news. If it weren't for the question of the Marquis's succession, we would have announced Sophia's death. ”

Varus lamented, "Your Highness, Amy May is that eyeliner. ”

"What!?"

"Two months ago, Amy May lost contact with us. I guess the Borui captured Amy May and wanted to torture Sophia about her relationship with the barbarians, but after Amy May's identity was revealed, the Borui killed her. ”

"Since Sophia monopolized the Purple Cane Wine, the Borui Kingdom's share of trade in the Duchy of Neville and the Moonbear has continued to decline. In particular, Sophia occupies eighty percent of the several medicinal herbs produced by Arret Mountain, and these medicinal materials are the raw materials for refining potions and energy potions. The Borui Kingdom competes with the Seuss Kingdom for the knights of the Eastern Alliance, and is in dire need of refining potions and energy potions. Sophia's relationship with the barbarians touched the interests of the Borui Kingdom, so they had to deal with Sophia. ”

"I see. Williams said thoughtfully, "Sophia secretly transferred 3 million gold sol to her saber-toothed tiger merchant group, if she dies, the saber-toothed tiger merchant group and this money will fall into our hands." The Borui people knew that we were in financial difficulties, so they dared to plot against Sophia. ”

"Exchange the Boiling Blood Potion for a Big Knight Toy. I'm afraid Andre is the mastermind!" Williams sneered.

Varus said, "Your Highness, what should we do?"

"Your Majesty Catherine has given me Duke Peter's handwritten letter, don't you understand what she means?" Williams raised the letterhead in his hand and said, "I have no reason to save Sophia. As for Sylvia, do you think she'll help her rival?"

"I see. The fall of Marquis Sophia was beneficial to all. Varus said respectfully.

"You don't know!" Archduke Williams clasped his hands together and shook the letterhead into powder: "I don't know either...... Until the designer of the giant brick kiln is discovered, Sophia is still the Marquis of Gambis. ”

"This ...... Does it matter?"

"Maybe it matters. Archduke Williams said meaningfully: "If there is really a relationship, it is worth 3 million gold soles in exchange for a favor for him." ”